Portland Winterhawk​s This Week

April 22, 2013, Portland, OR (ISN) – Ty Rattie leads the WHL with 25 playoff points, and is heading up a balanced attack from the Winterhawks’ offense.

The Hawks have six players averaging at least a point per game (all in 12 games): Rattie with 25 points, Brendan Leipsic with 20 (third in the league), Nic Petan with 17 (fifth), Derrick Pouliot with 15 (tops among all defensemen), Oliver Bjorkstrand with 14 and Chase De Leo with 13.

That offensive balance has netted a league-high 58 postseason goals thus far in the playoffs, and the 30.2% conversion rate on the power play is also first in the WHL.

Not to be outdone, Mac Carruth has allowed one goal or fewer in five straight games, dating back to Game 2 of the second round series against Spokane. He’s putting together the best postseason run of his career, with a goals against average of 1.53 (previous postseason best: 2.89 last season) and save percentage of .938 (previous best: .919 in 2011). His three shutouts have also doubled the three he’d posted in the last three years combined.

The NHL Central Scouting Bureau will release its final 2013 Draft rankings Wednesday. In their midterm rankings, they had Seth Jones ranked #1 among North American skaters, Oliver Bjorkstrand at #29 and Nic Petan at #34, while Brendan Burke was 13th among North American goaltenders.

Hawks Happenings Off The Ice:

Over 16,000 fans packed Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the first two games of the conference final, and the team’s average attendance is up to 8,591 in the postseason, tops in the WHL and over 1,500 more than second place Edmonton (7,364).